Daredevil Newb

[paurru]

ANYWAYZ what are some good old single issues of Daredevil that have underrated lesser known minor story arcs?

[ed2962]

The Denny O Neil run from the 190's through early 200's is underrated in my opinion. I didn't read all of Bendis's run but there's some really interesting stuff in there. There's the recent Waid stuff that's a lot of fun. Of course, the Frank Miller run...

[Uncanny Mutie]

I think Roger McKenzie's run from right before Frank Miller took over as writer is the most underrated Daredevil run of all time.

[Uncanny Mutie]

Read Frank Miller's original run: Daredevil 168-191.

I would even go so far as to read Roger's McKenzie's run first, which came right before Frank Miller took over as writer. A lot of people credit Miller with making Daredevil a darker, more serious character, but IMO, McKenzie had already started writing DD that way and pulling him away from the hokey, "Poor Man's Spider-Man" type of stories and reputation before Miller did. With that being said, I think you would appreciate Miller's Daredevil a lot more if you read McKenzie's run first and see how it flows right into Miller's run.

[Kuwagaton]

I feel like the idea that "Daredevil was corny before Miller" probably leads to McKenzie not getting credit for some pretty good stories. His work with Miller, in the first Visionaries trade, was solid. Same thing for Denny O'Neil being there before Born Again.

Andy Diggle gets a lot of blame for Shadowland, but before that actual crossover, his run made great use of what Brubaker left him. De La Torre was fantastic.

[The Whovian]

Read Frank Miller's original run: Daredevil 168-191.

After that, I'd probably suggest starting Volume 2, although I am happy to give other suggestions in Volume 1 to read as well.

This. And when you're done with Miller's run, I would try Ann Nocenti's run. Some don't like it, but I thought it was good. Then I would go to DD v2 and after that, read Waid's DD.

[Mike_Murdock]

In old single issues of the original Daredevil comic mostly in the 1980s.

What are some good fun to read single issue story arcs or at least a minor two to three part storyline?

I'll give a few. I'll start off with a writer I'm not a huge fan of: Daredevil 304 (34 Hours) is a simple but wonderful bit of storytelling. It's 1992, though, if I'm allowed to let that slide.

I also think # 191 (Roulette) by Frank Miller may be my all time favorite single issue.

For Frank Miller:
183-184 - Child's Play/Good Guys Wear Red (featuring The Punisher)
226 - Warriors

For Denny O'Neil:
205 - The Gael
218 - All My Laurels You Have Riven Away (this might be a controversial pick because the villain is the Jester)

For Ann Nocenti:
239-240 - Bad Plumbing/The Face You Deserve (really creepy serial killer villain)
252 - Ground Zero
266 - Beer with the Devil

For pre-Frank Miller, I'll also throw in 164 - Exposé.

I would even go so far as to read Roger's McKenzie's run first, which came right before Frank Miller took over as writer. A lot of people credit Miller with making Daredevil a darker, more serious character, but IMO, McKenzie had already started writing DD that way and pulling him away from the hokey, "Poor Man's Spider-Man" type of stories and reputation before Miller did. With that being said, I think you would appreciate Miller's Daredevil a lot more if you read McKenzie's run first and see how it flows right into Miller's run.

Yeah, I got the Frank Miller Omnibuses, which start with the stories he drew. I think that's a solid starting point. Granted, Miller's stuff is just clearly better, but it built directly off what came before. I don't suggest it for the same reason I don't suggest Nocenti, though. People don't want a huge investment right away and getting them to read 23 issues from the 80s is difficult enough.

[t hedge coke]

I'll suggest reading Man Without Fear before even tackling the original Miller run. It's short. It's tight. It deliberately introduces everything.

But, all of Miller is good. All of Nocenti is good. And, Gene Colan's run is the most beautiful.

[Mike_Murdock]

The op already said he read it. That being said, I'd actually caution against it (although, full disclosure, I read it first). You can see Miller's evolution to what he is today in that story (and that's not a good thing) and it reveals a lot of retcons that I think work better in their original context (particularly #191).

[t hedge coke]

The op already said he read it. That being said, I'd actually caution against it (although, full disclosure, I read it first). You can see Miller's evolution to what he is today in that story (and that's not a good thing) and it reveals a lot of retcons that I think work better in their original context (particularly #191).

That's what I get for jumping back in a thread without double-checking the OP. <_<

I've never been big on worrying if a later story will spoil something earlier, since there are hundreds of stories for most of these characters. Or, necessarily, tracing the evolution of the character or talent. Good comics take precedent to me over how this writer picked up threads from this older run, or the something developed stage to stage.

Of course, I think Miller's been in top form, generally, for his entire career, so I'm going to feel different about his 90s and 2000s/10s work.

[Mike_Murdock]

I hope you don't consider Holy Terror to be top form.

The problem is the caricature that defines Miller tends to bleed through The Man Without Fear. It's a much more violent book, often unnecessarily so. The prostitute dying is the best example. Also, Elektra is a vastly different character (arguably completely different). That being said, their opening scene together is absolutely wonderful. I think it's a great book, but it has flaws.

[t hedge coke]

I hope you don't consider Holy Terror to be top form.

The problem is the caricature that defines Miller tends to bleed through The Man Without Fear. It's a much more violent book, often unnecessarily so. The prostitute dying is the best example. Also, Elektra is a vastly different character (arguably completely different). That being said, their opening scene together is absolutely wonderful. I think it's a great book, but it has flaws.

Holy Terror is a difficult book to deal with, and it's a mess, but it's incredibly powerful and I do think it has some of the best layouts of his career. One of the few comics to literally make my stomach cramp reading it, but it often looks beautiful.

[Kuwagaton]

This. And when you're done with Miller's run, I would try Ann Nocenti's run. Some don't like it, but I thought it was good. Then I would go to DD v2 and after that, read Waid's DD.

I would say Chichester was kinda hit or miss but I quite liked Kesel and Kelly, from that mid 90s stretch where the Miller influence was in remission.

[Daredevildave]

Thanks for everyones insight. I have been reading away and really enjoying myself. Is it strange that I kinda feel for Kingpin???? Anyways, thanks again for the help everyone.